


Daddy, Daddy

by magnetic_pole



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-12
Updated: 2013-01-12
Packaged: 2017-11-25 06:45:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/636211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magnetic_pole/pseuds/magnetic_pole
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How long a honeymoon do you get when you’ve come back from the dead?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Daddy, Daddy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rosemaryandrue (Rosie_Rues)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosie_Rues/gifts).
  * Inspired by [The Unlikely Survivors' Club](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/15590) by rosemaryandrue. 



> A thank you gift for pinch-hitter and a coda to her charming story The Unlikely Survivors’ Club. Really, if you’ve only got time for one fic, you should read that one instead. But if you’re forging ahead here, they key thing to know about this universe is that Tonks and Emmeline have survived, and after the war ended Sirius "got better" and rejoined them. Remus, dead and buried for a while, is the latest addition to the Bloody Lucky Bastards’ Brigade. Oh, and there’s a secondary pairing, Nymphadora Tonks/Emmeline Vance. And Teddy, of course.

“The problem with gay wizards,” Emmeline said darkly, “is that they are still _wizards.”_

Emmeline was standing in the kitchen, starting at a pair of dirty tea cups and some stained plates and coffee grinds in the sink, and for the life of her, Nym couldn’t figure out why she was so put out.

“Wizards...as opposed to what?” she asked. Emmeline had both hands on her hips, a bad sign on any day. Nym slipped behind Emmeline and put both arms around her waist, wrapping her in a hug. “What’s wrong, Em?”

Emmeline now had her wand out was muttering a _scourgify_ at the offending items in the sink. “Just because they’re not looking at your boobs or your arse,” she muttered. “Or trying to convince you that sex with them will improve your life...”

Nym squeezed gently and buried her face in Emmeline’s hair. It smelled lovely, a weird but homey combination of shampoo and smoke from the fireplace.

“...doesn’t mean that they have _any idea,”_ Emmeline finished. She squirmed. “Nym, you’re in my way.”

Nym let go with a sigh, and Emmeline levitated the clean dishes back to the cupboard.

“Mum-mum!” Teddy called from the living room, where he and Sirius and Remus were lying on the floor and playing with a toy broom, and Nym went back out to join them.

*

It was like they were teenagers again. Not so much with the public displays of affection, thank goodness; Nym couldn’t bear that. But Sirius watched Remus’ face, rapt, and Remus touched Sirius’ lower back in concern when Sirius’ mood changed. They talked about the smallest things for the longest time, well past midnight most nights: Sirius’ awful fungal toenails, and the most spectacular way to light the fire without burning down the house, and the sex lives of their teachers in school, many of whom Remus now knew personally. They talked about Teddy incessantly, until even Nym tired of the subject, and she was usually pretty keen on it. That night, two weeks after Remus’ return, they were sprawled on the old shag rug in front of the fireplace, talking about how they needed to teach Teddy to say “daddy,” laughing because Sirius had so many damn opinions about everything, when Emmeline appeared.

Her arms were on her hips again. “For heaven’s sake, you three. Do you know what time it is?”

Nym had no idea. It didn’t feel late, but they’d finished the bottle and started a second.

“Daddy,” Sirius said, unhelpfully.

“Because we said we’d arrive at your mother’s for breakfast at 9:00,” Emmeline continued. “And I’ll be damned if I miss out on Andromeda’s pancakes because you can’t get up in the morning. Is that _wine_ on the rug?”

“I don’t think so,” Nym said quickly.

Emmeline was turning to go when Remus called out softly. “Em?” She paused.

“Teddy had his hands on his hips just like that, earlier today,” Remus said.

Emmeline stared at him in a calculating way Nym didn’t completely understand.

“Just--think about it,” Em said finally. “Pancakes.”

*

As soon as she left, Remus stood up. “Okay, time for bed.”

Nym didn’t really want to go to bed; Teddy had gone down hours ago, and the living room was blissfully warm and late-night quiet, and the snow had hardened to slush and beat a light tattoo on the window sills, a continual reminder that they were home, and warm, and safe, and together. If only Em weren’t so sleepy at night or so insistent on bed. They could all stay down here until dawn.

Still, pancakes.

Nym stood up, and she and Remus began gathering up the glasses and the bottle. Sirius narrowed his eyes at both of them. “Oy!” Sirius said. “I wasn’t done with that.”

Remus obliging put one glass back down on the floor. “That’s fine, then. I’ll go to bed on my own.”

They stared at each other as if one were about to pounce on the other. Times like this, it was a little ridiculous.

“I’ll let you two work it out,” Nym said, grabbing the glasses and the bottle. “First call for the bathroom!”

*

Teddy was in bed with Emmeline when Nym arrived. He was curled up on his side under the duvet, spooned against her, breathing noisily. A bit of a cold coming on, Nym thought. She took off her pullover, and then her two tee shirts, and then her bra, and then her jeans. Then, on second thought, she put the pullover back on and climbed into under the covers.

“What happened?” Nym whispered.

“He stopped crying, but I couldn’t stand the whimpering,” Emmeline said. “I brought him in here about half an hour ago and turned off the monitor.”

“Mmmm.”

“Did Sirius and Remus go to bed?” Emmeline said.

“They’re fucking again,” Nym said “At least, that’s what it sounded like as I came up here.”

Emmeline sighed. “Must be nice, hm?”

Nym thought about that for a moment. It was also nice here, in bed, with Teddy, at least until he got really sick. She reached across Teddy and found Em’s cold fingers. Teddy’s deep breathing was almost hypnotic.

“Nym?”

“Hm?”

“How long a honeymoon do you get when you’ve come back from the dead?” Emmeline asked.

*

They were late for Mum’s, of course, but despite being exhausted and hung over Sirius was in an excellent mood, thank goodness, and Remus had Teddy under his arm, and Nym loved it when someone else cooked for her. How could they possibly have four adults in the house and no one who enjoyed cooking? Bloody bad luck, she thought.

“Good morning!” Mum was in the kitchen making pancakes, smiling and humming to herself, and there were flowers on the table and Nym’s favorite coffee and it was like Mum had never said a word about the amoral werewolf and his errant sperm. Nym was inclined to ignore the change of heart as long as breakfast was coming up.

Mum had found Nym’s old high chair somewhere in the magically expanded cupboard upstairs, and Nym whipped out a second set of baby clothes from her bag.

“Here’s my new thing,” she said. “You just let them make a mess, and then afterward you change them and _scourgify_ the whole area. Less fuss.”

“Do you mean the boys or the baby?” Emmeline asked, but no one heard because Mum was already cooing over Teddy. 

“Aw, Teddy” Mum said, “Look at that nose. You’re looking more and more like your Dad every day.”

Em rolled her eyes.

They’d told the same stories about Remus’ return a hundred times, but somehow Mum had never heard the proper story, with all the details. That took most of breakfast, while Teddy (and, to be honest, Nym and Sirius) gleefully dropped pancake crumbs and Nym teased Em with her toes under the table.

“I had a thought,” Nym said. “First we got Sirius back--”

“In the only documented case of the afterlife rejecting someone, completely,” Em said.

Sirius stuck his tongue out at her.

“--and then Remus. What if this is just the beginning? What if we get back everyone?” She’d been dreaming about it at night: Dad coming home and being so happy to see her and maybe helping Nym magically expand the upstairs bedroom, and then Moody, because he was always funny and work was miserable without him, and then Em’s younger brother, and then even Amelia, whom Nym didn’t even know that well but who certainly didn’t seem like the kind of steely old witch who should die, ever.

Odder things had happened.

Mum shook her head sadly. “I wish that were true, but I don’t think we should get our hopes up. We’re lucky that Teddy got his dad back, aren’t we, Teddy? Can you say daddy, Teddy?”

Teddy was too busy tearing up another pancake to answer.

Emmeline stood up abruptly. “Anyone need some Pepper-Up? This conversation is making me a bit queasy.”

As she retreated to the kitchen, Sirius leaned back in his chair. “What’s wrong with her?”

Remus glanced at Mum and then at the kitchen and then at Mum again. “I’m glad to be back, Andromeda,” he said, a little more loudly than he needed to. “But Teddy already had a dad before I arrived. Now he’s got two.”

“Daddy, daddy,” Emmeline said as she emerged from the kitchen. Her voice was dry, but she wasn’t being sarcastic, not really. Nym could always tell. “All kids should be so lucky.”

She and Remus smiled at each other as if they had their very own secret.

“Who am I, then?” Sirius asked indignantly.

Remus stroked his chin once and then twice, a wicked look in his eye. “Of course. A parental nickname! What did you call Walburga and Orion, again?”

Sirius’ eyes widened, then he shuddered. “Right you are,” he said. “Right you are. I’ll be the cool uncle, won’t I, Teddy? You’ll come to me when these three have completely forgotten how much fun they used to be.”

Nym glanced at Mum out of the corner of her eye, but clearly Mum had forgotten how much fun she used to be, because she hadn’t even stopped sipping her tea and didn’t see how much that comment related to her.

“More pancakes, anyone?” Mum asked.

*

Later that night, as Emmeline put Teddy to bed and Sirius retired to the living room, Nym joined Remus in the kitchen, where he was washing up after dinner. He greeted her with a smile, all crinkly eyes and warm welcome.

“I thought it might help,” he said, gesturing at sink.

“Absolutely,” Nym said. “Em will appreciate it. But do you know what would really help?” From behind her back she pulled the item she’d removed from the bedroom earlier that afternoon, a small Muggle plastic appliance that crackled with static in their magical home.

Remus stared at it blankly. “What’s that?”

“A baby monitor,” Nym said. “You put it by your bed and listen to it at night and make sure Teddy’s okay.”

“Oh,” Remus said, taking it from her and inspecting it. “That doesn’t sound hard.”

“It doesn’t, does it?” Nym said. “Make sure Sirius doesn’t touch it, though. Ever. And give Teddy a good ten to fifteen minutes to cry before you go in to him to comfort him.”

“Ten to...fifteen?” Remus asked. Almost, on cue, Teddy started to wail, his voice hollow and harsh through the device. They could hear Emmeline shut the nursery door and her footsteps fade away.

“Starting...” Nym glanced at the clock over the sink. “Now. All yours, Daddy. Emmeline and I have the night off.”

Remus was beginning to look worried. “You do? For what?”

Nym smiled. “Our turn for the honeymoon. You’re now officially a part of the family again.” And with a comforting pat on the arm, she left.


End file.
